Turkish President To Attend Nato's 60th Anniversary Summit

ANKARA - Turkish President Abdullah Gul will attend the NATO's 60th Anniversary Summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, on April 3 and 4. He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul.
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday that Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul would accompany President Gul during the historic summit.

NATO SUMMIT

The summit takes place on the 60th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed in Washington D.C. on April 4, 1949 and which brought the Alliance into existence.

Hosted by two allied countries --France and Germany--, the summit will bring together leaders of all 28 member states. The historic character of this gathering was reinforced by the finalization of the accession process by Albania and Croatia on the eve of the summit, enabling those two countries to participate in the meeting as full members of the Alliance.

The two-day event will begin with the working dinner of the heads of state and government in the Baden-Baden Kurhaus. Following an official welcome by the leaders of the host nations and the secretary general of NATO, the participants will have an exchange of views on NATO's future roles and missions. During the evening session, Allies are also planning to discuss long-term relations with Russia.

The second day of the Summit will begin with a solemn ceremony at the Rhine River, honouring the men and women who put their lives at risk in NATO-led missions and operations for the security of the Euro-Atlantic community.

Following this event, Alliance leaders will convene for a working session of the North Atlantic Council in Strasbourg. It will be devoted primarily to a discussion of the ongoing operational commitments of NATO, in particular its engagement in Afghanistan.

The NATO leaders will adopt a number of key documents, including a final communique, a Declaration on Allied Security and a statement on the Alliance's mission in Afghanistan. (UK-AÖ)